Dr Anna Mallia should perhaps check the facts before rushing to print. In her recent article in Malta Today she has jumped to the conclusion that the church does not pay tax, which is definitely not the case.
Indeed the church is not exempted from the payment of tax and the income from the mobile telephony agreements is also included in its tax computation and the tax due is duly paid. It must also be said, however, that a substantial part of the remaining income from this source is used to help meet the ever increasing cost of maintaining and restoring church buildings.
With regard to Dr Mallia’s allegation that these antennae can be used for immoral or gambling purpose, it is to be noted that all three agreements with the telephony providers have a clause prohibiting any use which goes against church teachings. The connection which Dr Mallia is making between mobile telephony antennas and gambling programs on television cannot however be understood.
With regard to the health aspect, the church has always made it clear that it follows the directives of local health and other civil authorities, as is after all the norm when it comes to any health issue. Hypothetically speaking however, one would expect the removal of all antennas and not just those on church properties, if for the sake of the argument these were found to be harmful.
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